Polarity
by mogerthemuffin
Summary: After the defeat of the Metal Head leader Jak and the gang have some cleaning up too do. With the unbearable burden cast upon him will he be able to deal?
1. In the Moonlight

Hello to all you J&D fans,  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Jak II characters, they belong to Naughty Dog.  
  
This is the only note I will be writing, so I don't bore you with small talk at the beginning or end of each chapter. My first fanfic ever, so if you hate it I don't care, I might not even do another one. Yes I did complete the game and yes this fanfic has Jak II spoilers. I don't really care if you write a review, it would be nice, but don't feel like you have to.  
  
Enjoy.  
  
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Chapter One: In the Moonlight  
  
The desolate ruins of the Old City were cast in shadows as the last of the sunlight peeked over the horizon. The moon, already looming overhead, waited patiently for the darkness to consume the sky. Jak sat on top of the old rugged hut that once served a purpose in the distant past. The light breeze was just enough to rustle his sleek yellow hair, and nip at his cheeks, turning them a light shade of pink.  
  
He had sat there for most of the day and was glad there was still some metal-heads left, not only to shoot at every once and a while, but because it kept the citizens confined in the city. The citizens. They regarded him as the savior of the city, the one who defeated the metal-head leader, and the one true heir to the thrown of Marr. He couldn't deny that, at first, it was fun playing the hero, but the fact of the matter was that he was no hero. A hero is someone who risks their own life and puts the well being of the people before his own. He, on the other hand, had only done what he had done to get revenge on Barron Praxis, that torturous son of a bitch.  
  
Jak looked up at the dark blue sky, the moon was full and showing off its entire glowing splendor. "Why me?" he whispered up at it. For a split second he thought that the moon would answer his question, but like everyone else it was silent. Letting out a long sigh, he shook his head, he was being silly, everything was as it should be.  
  
'But then why do I feel so alone?'  
  
Jak stood up and jumped off the roof onto the deck, making a landing that would have made gymnasts jealous. Taking his hover board off his back and jumping on it, he gracefully did a flip in mid air and landed on the toxic water below. The moonlight shown down on him like a giant spotlight, it was almost as if it was answering his question, reassuring him that everything would be okay.  
  
* * *  
  
The Naughty Ottsel was packed. People were still celebrating about the defeat of the metal-head leader, even though weeks had already past. Keira and Tess were busy serving drinks at the bar, Daxter was making his way towards them trying not to get stepped on by the many dancing pairs of shoes, and Sig was admiring his lovely peacemaker in his own little booth.  
  
"HEY, DOLL FACE," Daxter shouted over the crowd, "WE'RE WAY OVER THE LIMIT, I'M GOING TO CLOSE THE PLACE DOWN FOR TONIGHT!!"  
  
"WHAT?" Tess shouted back.  
  
"I SAID I'M GOING TO CLOSE THE PLACE -"  
  
BOOM, the place went silent, Sig, who had heard Daxter, shot out a scattergun blast at the ceiling.  
  
"You heard the chili pepper, GET OUT." Said a standing up Sig with gun in hand.  
  
In a matter of seconds the place was cleared. It looked like a yakkow stampede had gone through it. Wrappers and broken glass littered the floor, which was almost hardly visible, and the tables contained uneaten food and unpaid checks. Tess and Daxter looked at each other, and for once Daxter had nothing to say. Breaking the awkward silence, Keira looked around the room and asked, "Has any one seen Jak?" 


	2. Discoveries

Chapter Two: Discoveries  
  
The dark and dreary corridor seemed to go on forever. The faint sound of drops of water coming in contact with the stone floor made her shiver. Ashlen had never been to this part of the castle before. Now that she had time to do whatever she wanted and that her dad wasn't there to threaten her to go away with his menacing tone that only he had, she went exploring the castle, finding new and odd rooms. With every step she took there was a suggestion of a deepening puddle. 'If this keeps getting deeper I'll be swimming' she thought to herself.  
  
The narrow beam of light coming from her flashlight was finally stopped on a metallic surface, one that she knew was a door. As she approached it, the gears turned and moved into place, and with a click that echoed throughout the corridor, the door opened. Ashlen stepped inside the room and shined her flashlight along the wall, hoping to reveal a light switch. The search didn't last long, for the switch was to the left of the door. She turned on the lights and revealed a large room.  
  
Shelves upon shelves of books filled the room. At the very center was a long conference table, Ashlen walked over to it. Papers were scattered everywhere. 'This must have been what dad and Errol were working on', she thought as she picked up the top most paper and recognized the writing as her father's. As she went to put the paper back down she noticed an open file partially buried under some of the other papers. As she uncovered the file she saw a picture of a child, no older than three, with green hair and a necklace with the Marr emblem. Another picture was under the first, and when she first looked at it she wasn't surprised that it was a picture of Jak. She was surprised however, when she looked at the information under both of the pictures. Dark Eco Project (D.E.P): Subject shows no change to the dark eco injections.Day 715.  
  
Suddenly a strong breeze nipped at the back of her neck and ruffled the papers. The door, which started to open again, made a loud clicking sound, which made Ashlen jump.  
  
"This is too eerie" she said out loud, and closing the folder, she tucked it under her arm and left the giant room.  
  
* * *  
  
Jak slept peacefully in the comfort of his bare apartment in the slums. Not having to spend much time there he only really needed a bed and a few couches. The walls were bare and there was no real evidence that anyone was living there, no pictures of friends, no personal items, and only a few pairs of clothes.  
  
Being too lazy to change, Jak slept in his blue tunic and beige pants. In the bed next to him was his morph gun, and on the floor was the hover board. The door to his bedroom opened slightly, and much to the intruders disliking, it made a quiet protest. The floor creaked with every step and yet Jak slept on unaware and caught up in his own dream. A head popped up at the foot of the bed and disappeared again, then in flash of orange fur the small assailant jumped on Jak landing on his stomach. Jak sat up in a wild panic and automatically grabbed for his gun.  
  
"Hey.it's just me," Daxter yelled as he raised his arms, "geeze.talk about being paranoid. You're starting to act like Vin did."  
  
Annoyed at Daxter's rude intrusion, Jak picked him up by the back of the neck and threw him across the room. With a thud Daxter hit the wall and then the floor. Unhurt he picked himself up off the wooden floor and brushed himself off.  
  
"Nice to see you too." Daxter retorted, "I was just wondering where you've been, I hardly see you any more."  
  
"I've been busy." Jak said just before he gave out a loud yawn.  
  
"Busy! Ha.doing what? Sleeping!"  
  
Jak ignored that last comment and got out of bed.  
  
Outside people were going about their business. The streets were packed and the smell of exhaust was just as potent as ever. Jak looked up to the usual zoomer infested sky, and with a mighty leap, grabbed onto the rim of an unsuspecting zoomer. Simultaneously, he let go with one hand, threw the driver to the ground, and with the other he hoisted himself up to the drivers seat. Pressing on the accelerator, he sped off leaving the cursing owner behind.  
  
Racing through the city, dodging other zoomers, hellcats, and pedestrians was one of Jak's favorite past times. Daxter held onto Jak's shoulder plate praying that the maniac driver wouldn't come to a sudden stop. Weaving in and out of people and buildings with incredible speed, it was hard to believe that he was a beginner, with only a few months experience and already class one champion. Finally easing up on the accelerator and obeying the laws of the hover zones, Jak fit into the stream of slow moving zoomers.  
  
With an overly exaggerated sigh, that only Daxter could do, he said, "Wow. That was fun. NOT! Do you have a death wish? Or are you trying to give me a heart attack? So were are we going in such a hurry?"  
  
"I'm going to go see Torn at the Palace."  
  
"Man.you really are bored. Please tell me it's not a social gathering, cause that would be the dullest get together EVER. I can picture it now, you two sitting down across from each other, speaking in mute, with the hum of crickets in the background."  
  
"Funny." Jak said sarcastically.  
  
Jak parked the zoomer at the foot of the steps of the palace. He then took out his purple security pass and swiped it through the appropriate slot. It was nice to enter the palace without security tanks and guards shooting at you. The red carpet extended from the entranceway into the rotunda, a large circular room with golden walls and a dome shaped sunroof. Pictures, of what Jak had concluded family members of the Baron, lined the walls. The grandest picture of all was the picture of Marr, which was by far the biggest picture as well as being the focal point of the room. Jak found it hard to believe that he was related to such a savior. Jak looked away from the picture and returned to looking for Torn.  
  
"Hey buddy, how are we going to find Torn in this place it's HUGE!" Daxter pointed out, as Jak walked through door after door.  
  
"Dax, you ask a lot of questions, but you do have a point about this place." Jak replied. And with that said, he grabbed the nearest krimson guard by the shoulder armour and turned him about. "You look like you know what's going on, where the hell is Torn?"  
  
"I.."  
  
"Come on, we don't have all day!" Daxter interrupted. Jak glared at Daxter, who cowered to the back of his shoulder plate.  
  
"He's not here Jak," said a female voice from behind him. It was Ashlen. "He's left to attend to the city, but I'm glad you're here. We need to talk."  
  
Daxter jumped off of Jak's shoulder and landed in front of Ashlen, "Mmmm. Baby, you must be a broom, cause you just swept me off my feet. My name isn't Elmo, but you can tickle me any time you want to. Are those astronaut pants 'cause."  
  
"Say one more thing and you'll be a eunuch for the rest of life." Ashlen said and turn to Jak, "Jak we need to talk. Alone."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Ashlen walked off with Jak following closely behind.  
  
"I'll just stay here and.well.make sure these guys do their jobs." Daxter yelled after them, " and don't worry about me I'll be fine!" 


	3. Growing Anger

Chapter 3: Growing Anger  
  
Jak stomped out of the palace not paying attention to the small ottsel who was trying to catch up with him. His face was set into a silent rage, crimson guards jumped out of his way as he past, he couldn't hear anyone any more. Jak pulled out his blaster gun and shot at the oncoming door controls, opening the door. He walked down the palace steps and looked up. Seeing a zoomer that he liked, he made one powerful jump up and threw the driver down to the ground, more forcefully than normal, and gunned the engine, speeding off.  
  
"HEY, I THINK YOU FORGOT SOMEONE HERE!" Daxter yelled at his hotheaded friend as he watched him drive away, "I'll just find another way home then. HEY Bigfoot, watch where you're steppin'"  
  
Daxter marched himself back into the castle, he was determined to find out what had happened between Jak and Ashlin. What ever happened it seriously pissed Jak off, which is never a good thing, and god knows what Ashlin is like now.  
  
* * *  
  
Keira woke up. The bench she had fallen asleep on was hard and uncomfortable; it was a wonder that she got any sleep at all. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. The Naughty Ottsel was deserted, which was normal for during the day, it was at night when it really came alive. Like last night, herself, Tess, and Sig stayed to clean up, which took almost all night. Daxter had passed out drunk ten minutes into clean up so Tess put him in bed, and Jak never showed up.  
  
She would be lying to herself to say that she didn't care, but she cared almost too much. She loved that little boy she had grown up with, his innocents, and carefree attitude threw her heels over head. But that was in the past, and Jak was gone, rarely to be seen anymore. She had almost sensed his love for her during the party after he defeated Metal Kor, but the spark had dissipated and she was left alone.  
  
"Good afternoon chilli peppers. Bar open Tess, cause I sure am thirsty." Sig said as he walked through the door. Sig one of the biggest characters in Haven City, he could both scare people and make them feel wanted. His rough exterior and metalhead armor gave him a tough guy look, he was truly a wastelander. But he was also dependable in every situation and even his presence seemed to cheer Keira up.  
  
"The bar just opened big guy, what can I get ya?" Tess replied, removing herself from one of the booths and slipping behind the counter of the bar.  
  
"The usual will do, thanks," Sig said, and with his order he walked over to Keira, "Well good mornin', s'bout time you got up. It happens to be a lovely day out side."  
  
Keira put on a smile, but was still thinking about Jak.  
  
Sig saw her worry and new what it was about, "Cheer up cherry, if your that worried about the kid go see him. Ya can't just count on Jak to be the social one all the time."  
  
Keira looked at him in surprise, she didn't know she was that easy to read, "I would go to him, but I never know where he's going to be these days."  
  
"Well what if I told you that he's on his way to the Palace as we speech, if ya hurry you might be able to catch him." Sig replied. He saw the light flicker on in her eyes and she let out a bigger smile than before.  
  
"Thanks Sig," and with that said, Keira left the Naughty Ottsel.  
  
* * *  
  
"What do you want."  
  
"Just to talk Jak. I was exploring the palace when I found my father's secret study room."  
  
"So what does that have to do with me?"  
  
"In it I found a whole library on Mar and ancient times, more importantly though, I found this." Ashlin held up a folder.  
  
* * *  
  
"Yo, sweet cheeks." Daxter called out to Ashlin, "What exactly did you do to Jak?"  
  
"Nothing and it's none of your business," Ashlin quipped.  
  
"None of my business, of course its my business. Jak wasn't exactly stopping to smell the roses when he left this place," Daxter shot back, "and since he left me here without a ride home you'd better make it my business otherwise I can get pretty annoying."  
  
Ashlin let out a sigh. 'Great now I'm stuck with Jak's mouthy pet' she thought to herself.  
  
* * *  
  
Jak took the file and read its contents carefully. He paced around the room and said nothing. Ashlin could see his muscles were tense and yet his face was emotionless. She couldn't help but think that Jak looked Torn when he was contemplating something, and it was quite attractive.  
  
Finally Jak took one of the pictures out as well as the last report and folded it neatly into his pocket. He then closed the file folder and threw it into the air. Instantly he pulled out his blaster and shot the file until nothing remained. Ashlin stood aghast. She truly did not know how Jak would react upon given the information, but this rash act was not something that immediately came to mind.  
  
* * *  
  
Jak's long hair whipped behind him as he raced through the streets. The motor of the zoomer protested as Jak continuously pushed it to go faster. He had circled the Palace once and had finally decided that he needed a couple of drinks, so he speed towards the Naughty Ottsel.  
  
People dove out of the way to avoid getting hit by the zoomer. Some even shouted back at Jak for getting them dirty, but he didn't care. It was almost a sport to him and deep down he enjoyed watching the fat ones try and get out of the way.  
  
He was just about to turn the last corner of the Mar Tomb when he spotted a blue and neon green zoomer coming around the same corner. Keira's eyes widened with fear, she was a good driver but the speed at which she was going left her no time to react to the brown zoomer in front of her. Jak turned the zoomer to the right more quickly than normal, which put him straight into the opposing wall.  
  
* * *  
  
"What was that for?"  
  
"I don't need you or anyone else in my business."  
  
"It's MY business if you live in this city. Judging by the reports and by what I've heard about you-- Look Jak I'm just playing it safe."  
  
"Look I've got everything under control and don't need a bunch of crimson heads babysitting me all the time."  
  
"I just don't want you to hurt anyone. They didn't call it the Dark Warrior Project for nothing. I can't take back what my father did to you-"  
  
"You're right you can't undo it so forget about it."  
  
Jak turned away from Ashlin and made his way out the door and into the hallway.  
  
"If you ever lose control Jak I will be forced to hunt you down," Ashlin shouted after him.  
  
* * *  
  
Jak laid sprawled on the cold pavement of the street. The remains of the zoomer he had stolen lay burnt on top of him. Black blood oozed out of the cut on his forehead. Keira stopped her zoomer and ran over to Jak. 


	4. Fading Light

Chapter Four: Fading Light  
  
Jak rubbed his throbbing head and sat up. He checked his hand for any signs of blood, none. He then made a quick check to make sure the rest of his body was okay. His clothes weren't torn or dirty, he had no scrapes or cuts or broken bones. Running a hand through his long yellow hair he tried to make sense of it. He knew that he was just in a crash, and yet there was no sign of it.  
  
Jak broadened his line of vision to his surroundings. It was darker than usual, Keira was crouched down next to him, her features and the way her body was crouched suggested that she was crying, but no sounds erupted from her still form. Crowds of people were surrounding him, all wanting to get a closer look at what happened but none moving. It was as if someone had pushed the pause button and forgot to tell him.  
  
Jak reached out to Keira, but as soon as he did, her figure disappeared into the dark. He looked around, the crowds also began to follow suit, one by one disappearing into the darkness. Until only he and the cold stone floor remained visible.  
  
Jak paced around the small space he had. He figured he had two choices, one to stay in the small bit of visible space or two to venture into the darkness. He was always a sucker for exploring unknown places so, curiosity getting the better of him he started to take his first steps toward the black abyss. It wasn't until to late that he had realized his mistake, and was now in complete darkness. The little shred of land was no longer visible; there was no going back into the light so he continued on in the dark. As if he had any other choice.  
  
* * *  
  
Keira looked helplessly onto Jak. She wanted desperately to make him better to help him off of the ground. She was afraid that if she tried to move him she might inflict more injury on his already frail body. The crisp zoomer frame was still on top of Jak, and was too heavy for her to remove.  
  
She hated it.  
  
This feeling of utter helplessness. The known fact that she was physically too weak to offer him a bit of help. And the fact that she was the reason he was in the condition he was in now. She hated the gossiple people of Haven City, who where too encompassed in their own lives to care that the one person that had saved their butts when every one else had given up hope, was lying on the ground bleeding to death.  
  
Guards rushed over to the scene and hurried to keep the crowds from getting a good look at what had happened. After all they were just following orders. A hellcat landed in the street a couple of meters from her and Jak; Torn jumped out and ran over to her.  
  
"What the hell happened here?" He asked in his usual harsh voice. Keira made an attempt to use her voice but only a squeak escaped her dry lips and made its way towards Torn's ears. Torn could see how grief struck she was and decided not to persist in the interrogation.  
  
"We need to get this off of him," Keira said in a quiet whisper, finally able to find hear vocal cords.  
  
Torn concurred and he lifted the frame off of Jak single handedly, tossing it to the side. The young man had definitely seen better days, and by the look of things was bleeding from a gash in his leg. Torn knew that the flow of this unusual black blood had to be stopped immediately. He tore a strip of Jak's pants and wrapped it around his leg so tightly that no blood would be able to pass. Torn then proceeded to check for any other threatening wounds and for Jak's vitals, which were week but never the less, existent. Finally confident that Jak could be moved without doing him anymore harm, Torn picked him up and carried him to the palace.  
  
Daxter had been sitting on the banister in the main hall waiting for Jak to come back to get him. Ashlin had been clever enough to close the heavy oak doors behind her, thus denying the pestering Daxter entry into the room. Feeling left behind and unwanted, the little Ottsel sat watching guards come in and out of the palace. His ears perked up when they heard Torn's familiar voice echoing through the hall.  
  
"Finally he comes back to the palace. Boy is Torn going to get it, since when did that lazy maniac get a life. When Jak—"Daxter watched Torn carry Jak through the large metal doors, "JAK!"  
  
'Oh no. I knew it was to good to be true. Jak must have left the rat here,' Torn thought to himself. Previously thinking that Daxter had died in the crash, he watched the orange fuzz ball bound off the banister and sprint towards him.  
  
"What did you do to Jak?" asked Daxter. Finally seeing Keira he asked, "What did he do to Jak?"  
  
Keira broke out into a silent sob. Daxter couldn't understand why she was crying, was it something he had said. He went over to comfort her; after all, the ladies did like to cuddle him a lot. He had that effect on women. Daxter hopped up onto Keira's shoulder and watch Torn take his best friend down the hall.  
  
* * *  
  
Jak continued to wander through the darkness of his mind. He didn't know what else to do. It was weird. There was ground beneath him and with every step he could feel its solidity, but his shoes made no sounds. He was now purposely stomping to see if he could make a sound any sound. Nothing. Jak opened his mouth and started to yell. Nothing. He didn't understand this new phenomenon. Either he was deaf, or the darkness was preventing or absorbing all sounds he made. And he was not going to believe the first option.  
  
Jak felt a small breeze pass him, and stopped dead in his tracks. He felt it again on his left side. He turned hoping he would be able to see something, but there was nothing but the darkness. The breeze passed him again this time behind him, something was here and it wasn't just him. Jak began to spin on spot to see if he could catch this invisible assailant. He felt it again on his right side and lashed out at the invisible force. His fingers had touched something, almost like hair. Jak waited and waited and waited but the force did not return.  
  
The ground below Jak's feet had begun to loose its solidity. He tried to move away from the melting floor but it had consumed his lower leg in no time at all. He wildly searched the area around him with his arms, desperately trying to hold on to something. His nails tried to dig into the solid ground around him, but he was almost up to his neck in the deformed black floor.  
  
It was the most unusual sensation he had ever felt. As the floor had consumed his entire body, Jak discovered the ever mind boggling sensation of weightlessness. In other words it was as if he was floating in the floor. No ups, no downs, no nothing. He was rather enjoying himself in this newly discovered state. However, in no matter of time at all, Jak was caught in the middle of a summersault when weight became aware that he was having too much fun without it.  
  
Jak plummeted toward the ground. The air whistling as it passed his ears and combing his long yellow hair. He hit the ground with a thud; it wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. And to his surprise he actually heard a sound for the first time since he had entered this place.  
  
A blinding light turned on just behind Jak. He turned around, shielding his eyes from the source, and found a magnificently bright yellow sphere in a rich blue sky. It was like someone had finally found the light switch to the sun. Jak turned around to take in the rest of his surroundings. Golden sand sparkled in the sunlight, the crystal clear water made a soft splash as the waves made their way up the beach. He knew this place. He looked to his left, and sure enough were the huts of Sandover Village. He was home, but how?  
  
He ran across the loose sand towards the village. In his own excitement, Jak almost tripped over the steps separating the sandy beach from the grassland of the village. He ran passed the villagers and huts, across the bridge and up the steps leading to Samos's hut. He stepped through the tiny door leading into the hut, and saw Samos and Keira standing with their backs to him, obviously deep in discussion over something or other. Jak cleared his throat to get their attention.  
  
Keira turned around, brushing her shining green hair out of her eyes as she did. Her lips were already stretched in the form of a smile and her eyes closed. As soon as she opened her eyes to see Jak, her smile faded and the sparkle in her eyes vanished almost instantly. Jak could sense her fear, it excited him in a way he had never felt before. Keira let out a scream, almost knocking Samos off his logs. Samos turned around and saw Jak. Without warning he was blasted through the wall of the hut by a green beam. He landed in the middle of the Village, and oddly enough it didn't seem to hurt him. Jak looked around Sandover and saw the people looking fearfully through their windows. He didn't understand, these people knew him, why were they so afraid.  
  
Samos floated down from the hut, glowing with green eco, staff raised posed to strike Jak again if he had to. Jak noticed Keira watching him from the hut, obviously to scared to come down. And then he something he had not been expecting to see. Daxter. And he wasn't two feet tall and orange, he was the bucked toothed boy Jak knew before the Dark Eco accident. Coming up behind Dax was another boy. He recognized the yellow-green hairstyle anywhere. It was his younger self.  
  
* * *  
  
Jak was brought to the Palace's infirmary, where he was laid down on a cold metallic table. Guards with various injuries were scattered around the room. Their red uniforms sticking out like a sore thumb in the clean white room.  
  
"Hello commander, what seems to be the problem?" Asked one of the nurses. She was dressed in white scrubs with a red stripe down the side of the pant legs.  
  
"Its not me that needs tending to, its him," answered Torn motioning to Jak's motionless body.  
  
"Oh," said the nurse obviously not noticing Jak before hand, "But commander, we don't treat civilians here."  
  
Torn towered over the nurse, "Is that so," he hissed in a low menacing voice, "Well you might want to rethink that decision, this here is no civilian, can't you see the uniform."  
  
"I-I'll get a d-doctor over here immediately, sir," stuttered the nurse who was very intimidated by Torn's show of power.  
  
* * *  
  
Jak narrowly dodged a beam of green eco as he stared transfixed at his younger self. How he had missed the light he had once possessed. It wasn't that it had vanished never to be seen again; it was on the other hand, held captive deep within him. The innocence of his younger self annoyed him, and he couldn't help but wonder 'what if'?  
  
His train of thought became disgruntled when Samos fired yet another green beam at him, it hit him squarely in the chest. Jak landed in a puddle of water and upon seeing his reflection in the rippled water, understood why Samos was firing at him. His skin was a pasty white colour, his eyes were black and bottomless, and his hair white with two black horns protruding from his skull. He didn't know why he hadn't realized it before.  
  
"Jak, Daxter get back here!" yelled Samos.  
  
Jak looked up upon hearing his name just in time to see a foot collide with his face. The two young people continued to try and defeat Jak with only their feeble kicks and punches. He knew that as long as he was in this form he could not be hurt. He could hear the cheers of the villagers as his younger self and Daxter continued to try and beat the crap out of him. Jak rolled his eyes and picked Daxter up by the scruff of his neck and threw him towards Samos. It took great self-control to not rip out Daxter's jugular. Jak knew only to well how blood thirsty he got while in this form.  
  
His younger self, however, proved to be more of a match than Daxter had. When Jak attacked, his opponent ducked, rolled, or leaped out of the way with astonishing speed. The same held true with Jak, he would duck, roll, or leap out of the way of any attack thrown at him. True he didn't need to dodge the attacks, but something was telling him that this younger version of him was not to be tested.  
  
The younger had just finished a brilliant display of kicks, punches and a combination of both when Samos fired yet another green eco beam at him. This distracted Jak just long enough for his opponent to strike him with a spinning kick. Jak went flying back into the hut behind him. Unlike the other attempts to hurt him, this one actually worked. Jak didn't understand, he was invincible; nothing could hurt him, especially a kick. Jak looked up at his younger self and saw a glowing light surrounding him.  
  
'White eco? But that isn't possible.' Jak thought to himself. He rolled out of the way of another attack. 'He is getting over confident' said a small sinister voice in his head. But Jak chose to ignore it and rolled again. 'You can end this, just use one of the dark powers,' said the voice again. Jak wasn't so lucky this time, the younger had anticipated a roll and did a dive punch right into Jak's ribs. Jak heard a crunch at which he had had enough; it was either this figment of his imagination or him.  
  
Jak grabbed the arm of the younger and threw him to the ground beside him. Sparks of Dark eco shooting out in every direction, Jak let the voice inside his head take over. Driven by anger and fueled by fear, Jak started slashing at his opponent until the white glowing light was only a faded white mist.  
  
* * *  
  
Before the final blow was struck Jak was pulled out of this unconscious state and back to reality. 


	5. Escape and Destiny

Chapter Five: Escape and Destiny  
  
Flashback   
  
The Baron stood on the hovering platform speaking to the winner of the championship race, Jak. He couldn't hear what they were saying; his ears were filled with the buzz of defeat. He never lost, never. He put one foot down on the pavement to steady his zoomer. If he couldn't be the winner no one would be. He put the zoomer in reverse and obtained a speed boost. Positioning his zoomer, he punched the throttle and whipped around the corner.  
  
_"I win Jak!"_  
  
Jak had leapt out of the way. The Barron rose up on the platform to avoid collision with the maniac driver. It was only a split second before he had hit the dark eco barrels that he knew he had made a mistake. A sudden explosion of dark eco pierced through the crowds' cheers and sent the stadium into a state of panic. The resulting dark cloud of the explosion covered his escape into one of the hidden manholes on the track.  
  
Few knew of the sewers beneath the stadium, and he was glad that he was one of them. Tunnels upon tunnels of the old sewage system had been shut down in order to build the stadium. It was dark and damp. Bricks littered the already grimy ground and the tunnel's lights had long since shed their last rays of light. He knew not of the darkness, nor of the beaten path, his mind was focused on one thing. How was it that he could have been beaten so easily, and by that freak? He had lost and was now crawling through the sewers like a disgusting rat. He ran his hand over the slime-covered wall to guide his way out. The sludge in which he walked through reeked with the sour smell of failure.  
  
He could hear the faint cry of the Krimson Guards as they tried to silence the rebel. He let out a merciless laugh. No one would defeat Jak, no one but him that is. He knew as soon as he survived the dark eco blast that it was his destiny to defeat the Dark Warrior. He was untouchable, uncontrollable, and free from the Barron's incompetents.  
  
Rounding the last corner, he saw the exit. A small ray of light pierced the darkness and became larger as the worn metal doors began to open. He jumped down and found himself not within the city walls, but in Dead Town. He withdrew his weapon, as the Metalheads were still a threat. Although he knew no mere Metalhead would be able to defeat him, he did not want to chance it. He was invincible, immortal, untouchable, until his destiny was complete.  
  
He walked stealthily through the ruins. He needed to reach the entrance to the city by nightfall, that way he could gather some of his personal belongings and his personal elite KG team, without being noticed or recognized by anyone. He would then exit the city and wait until an opportunity presented itself to attack.  
  
He, Erol, would get his revenge on Jak; it was just a matter of time.

Present

Jak sat up on the cold hard bed. The room was dark, but not as dark as the place he was just in. The curtain surrounding his bed prevented him from seeing the whole room, but he could hear the faint sounds of people sleeping. The sterile air played with his senses, as it was a lot different than the polluted air outside.  
  
A trickle of cold sweat rolled down his back, making him shiver. The images of the dream were still fresh in his mind. He looked down at his hands. Normal. Jak let out a sigh of relief; it was just a nightmare, only a nightmare. Still the images plagued his mind.  
  
The curtains surrounding Jak's bed separated, revealing a slim, red headed young lady. Dressed in white scrubs, Jak guessed that she was a doctor.  
  
"Oh, I-I didn't realize that you were up," she said. Her voice wavered with fear, but she kept herself in order. She obviously knew who and what he was. Jak looked at the tray she was carrying. On it was a container of glowing green eco, bandages, a water jug, and a glass. "Just came to check your bandages."  
  
At those words, Jak was aware of the bandage around his head and arm, and his leg was cast in a splint. His blue tunic was off revealing his well toned upper body, and his hover board and morph gun were rested on the chair beside his bed. His beige pants were torn, and on the side of the splint, his pant leg was cut up to the middle of his thigh.  
  
The young woman worked quickly and quietly. Jak was in no mood to object to being treated by someone other than himself, so he let the doctor work. He sat rigidly on the hard bed as to avoid scaring her while she worked. Her hands, young as they were, moved with experience beyond their years. Not once did they fumble with the bandage, or cause him any more discomfort. In fact the smoothness of her hands soothed and relaxed him, he could feel the knot in his arm undo and the searing pain in his head dissipated into a mild ache.  
  
She was surprised by his actions. Most of the patients that were put in here when she had first started were due to this man. Yet he did not move or complain, he was in fact quiet pleasant. She threw the old bandages away, and was surprised to see that his cuts on his arm and head were fully healed. However, when she had moved on to examine his leg it was still fractured. Green eco must only work on cuts, she thought to herself. She reset the splint and poured him some water. With a quiet goodbye, she walked back through the curtain.  
  
Jak watched her leave. He took a sip of his water and laid back down. His eyelids drew heavier as the hours rolled on by. He was afraid to close them, afraid of his own feelings and most of all afraid of his darker side. His attempts to stay awake lasted for a couple of hours, but as the sun rose in the dark sky, Jak's eyes fell, and all was dark once again.

Dream

Jak opened eyes.  
  
Before him was the oracle. Jak moved closer to the golden statue, its hollow, glowing eyes mesmerizing him and drawing in his soul. Only feet away from it, Jak stopped, and looked at the structure. The dozens of glowing candles were reflected on its surface, giving it the appearance that it was alive. Jak jumped as a deep echoing voice erupted from the golden statue.  
  
"The darkness within you grows, and will soon consume you into its perpetual oblivion. Only by realizing your gift will you be able to save yourself."  
  
Jak looked at it in confusion. "What gift?" he yelled angrily, "I already know all of the Dark Powers! I need to know more!"  
  
"An evil presence will surface soon, you must be ready for it."  
  
At the oracle's last words the candles extinguished and the wooden hut became dark. The floor had vanished from beneath his feet, and the walls surrounding him disappeared until at last only the darkness remained. Jak found himself in nothingness once more.


	6. Sorrow

Chapter Six: Sorrow  
  
"...Remember Sig, anything suspicious is to be reported immediately." Came Torn's voice from the beige communicator in Sig's large brown hand. Sig hated taking orders from Torn, mainly because he had no respect for the stuck up ranks of the KG. Torn knew how he felt about it too, because he made sure he got the message across nice and clear. But Torn had his reasons, and if he could have asked Jak to go he would have.  
  
Sig surveyed the crumpled buildings and toxic marshes of Dead Town. According to some of the slummers near the wall exit, they had seen mysterious figures go in and out of dead town. Yet there was no evidence of such a claim. The only footsteps in the muddy ground were his own, and he highly doubted that they walked through the acidic water.  
  
He stepped forward and withdrew his beloved peacemaker. Sig marveled at the way her silver shaft shone in the sunlight. He raised her to eyelevel and swept his sights along the horizon. Empty as a wompbee's nest in winter thought Sig, and he lowered the peacemaker, holding her loosely at his side.  
  
With a few long strides and a jump, Sig was off the first muddy island and on to the next. He moved with a muscular grace, carefully plotting his next steps in the rough terrain. His heavy boots sunk in the sticky earth, but it did not slow him down. With the peacemaker held loosely at his side, Sig quickly searched through the ruins of the forgotten town.  
  
Sig paused and looked at the remaining area. The buildings, destroyed by the onslaught of metalheads, lay before him. After a few moments of contemplating on how he should tackle the area, Sig lifted himself up onto one of the concrete floors and looked around. His mechanical eye took in every detail of his surroundings, even as he started moving it did not waver. Every step he took was carefully planned and executed. The peacemaker was held up to eyelevel, ready to release the glowing ball of blue light at any moment. Sig carefully went around a corner, trigger finger tense with anticipation, then another corner and yet another. After a half an hour, Sig found himself deep in the heart of the ruined buildings.  
  
Behind Sig a noise pierced the silent still air. In a blur of motion, Sig turned on the spot in anticipation of a possible attacker. His finger let up on trigger and the ball of blue eco was released from the peacemaker. Sig watched as the ball of eco whizzed through the air and hit the opposite wall with a satisfactory crackle. Sig looked up and saw some dust slowly descending, then looked down and saw the newly fallen pile of rubble. He loosened his grip on the peacemaker and held it in both hands in front of him. Embarrassed that his nerves had gotten the best of him, Sig kicked the pile with his huge boot.  
  
"I need a vacation," he mumbled. Regaining his composure, Sig turned around to continue his search.  
  
WHAM!  
  
Sig flew across the hall and slammed into the wall. Adrenaline influencing his reaction, Sig quickly got to his feet and squared his body to his attacker while raising the peacemaker.  
  
WHAM!  
  
The peacemaker was quickly and forcefully knocked out of his hands. He rolled to the side to avoid the next blow. To Sig's surprise, his opponent was quick to recover from his dodge and began attacking once more. Sig didn't even have time to blink, let alone see what was attacking him. He ducked, jumped, and rolled to escape whatever or whoever's fierce offence.  
  
His efforts to avoid his attacker landed him next to the peacemaker. He looked down at it and froze. The barrel had been bent and cut open, the grip was broken off, and the metalhead head (the defining characteristic of the peacemaker) was shattered.  
  
WHAM!  
  
Sig crashed through a wall and landed in the mud on a small dune next to the exit. White-hot anger blinded his instinct to run. He sprang to his feet and looked up at his on coming attacker. He had never seen anything like it. There, standing by the hole Sig had made was what looked like an elven-metalhead hybrid. The creature was black from head to toe, and its thick armor covered most of its bulky body, only exposing the face and forehead. A glowing purple orb was embedded in its chest; Sig recognized it immediately as a dark eco ore.  
  
It's black elven face contorted into a toothy grin, showing a set of sharp pearly teeth. The creature crouched and, with spring like qualities, jumped through the hole and towards Sig. Sig set his feet and braced himself for impact. It hit him like a giant anvil, and pushed him towards the edge of the dune. The creature was surprised by Sig's show of resistance, which was all Sig needed to begin his offence. His first punch hit the side of it's face with such force that Sig though he had heard something break. The thing struggled to regain control, throwing punches and slashes, and each attempt failed to strike the target. Sig's arms began to become heavy as he through punch after punch, most hitting the creature with enough force to finish any ordinary metalhead.  
  
Sig grabbed at the armor at the back of the creature's head and tried to through it into the toxic water. But the creature was quicker and flipped Sig over its head. Sig landed on his back with a thud. The creature maneuvered itself so that it was directly over Sig, and with a large clawed hand, grabbed Sig by the collar and threw a punch. Inches from his face, Sig caught the other's fist and sent it crashing down beside him. Rage drove his fists towards the creature and adrenaline kept them going.  
  
By the time Sig had stopped his onslaught, the thing had been dead for a couple of minutes. Black blood was everywhere, and the creature's face looked like mush. Sig straightened and reached for the communicator at his hip. The small device clicked open in his hand, he pressed one of the small buttons, and with a beep Torn's face appeared in the small screen.  
  
"What is it? Did you find anything?" Torn asked in his usual grumpy tone, rarely had Sig ever heard Torn in a good mood.  
  
"Big problem," Sig turned the communicator around so that the beast was shown on Torn's screen.  
  
Back at the Naughty Ottsel   
  
"Sig! What happened!" said Keira, whose eyes were wide with shock as she looked upon Sig's bloody form. Everyone inside the bar turned to see Sig coming through the small door dragging something massive. Half way through the door the thing got stuck, Sig tugged at it forcefully. A loud crack echoed through the bar, and many of the unfamiliar faces jumped nervously.  
  
"Don't worry Keira. I just ran into some unwanted trouble, and bagged me this..."  
  
"AHHHH...A metalhead!" Sig didn't even have to see Daxter to know that it was his voice. Sig was just about to tell Dax to shut up when the whole bar exploded with panic. People streamed out of the Naughty Ottsel, making sure that they didn't get to close to Sig and the metalhead.  
  
"Well now that the crowd's out, what happened?" said Daxter calmly. Sig, Keira and Tess looked at Daxter in disbelief. "What?"  
  
"Before I start explainin' to you cherries I think we'd better wait for Torn."  
  
"Don't bother, I'm here" came Torn's voice from the entrance. "Now what the hell happened?"  
  
At the Stadium   
  
Jak looked up at the timer. One more lap left and only ten seconds to do it in. Jak pressed harder on the accelerator, flying past the home stretch and around the first corner. He held on tightly as he whipped around the corner and struggled to stay in control. Straightening the racer, he leaned to the right, staying close to the shoulder of the curve. If he had not been so pressed for time, Jak could have, and would have, brushed the ground with his fingertips, mocking the track, and challenging her. But as was the case today, Jak was being pushed to his limits by the track, and as such, the track was mocking him. Five seconds left, he went around another corner and zoomed past a short stretch. Four seconds... Jak pressed hard on the break, in order to take a ninety-degree turn, and pressed hard on the accelerator. Three seconds, a soft left turn, and a right turn. Two seconds, nearly there. One second, on the home stretch. Jak blasted the boost. He crossed the finish line a split second to late.  
  
"Shit!" muttered Jak. He straightened himself on the racer and slowed the velocity till it was merely hovering on the spot. He turned it around and headed for the garages. Keira's Garage was clean and orderly, the space behind the curtain was now home to 'Sting' the most advanced racer to date, and all Jak's. He said goodnight to Sting and closed the green curtains. He would have to talk to Keira about fixing the weight on Sting's aft, but other than that he was quiet satisfied with the handling. After making sure Sting was safe in Keira's garage, he limped down the hall stadium hall and exited the building.  
  
People waved and stared as he walked passed. They still regarded him as the hero to the city, which was, in all honesty, getting old. Girls giggled in groups around him, and dared each other to talk to him. Racing fans asked for his autograph and young children pointed excitedly while hanging on to their parents' hand. But then there were also the people who disliked him, they were probably the people he had stolen zoomers from or the people he ran over. Either way he liked them better then the rest of the idolizing population, for they left him alone.  
  
Jak looked down at the ground as he limped towards his zoomer at the bottom of the stairs. His leg was getting better slowly, but it was still very sore and stiff. No one understood why the green eco didn't heal him fully, but he knew that it had something to do with the dark eco flowing through his veins. He looked up as he neared his zoomer. A group of girls, all around his age, surrounded his zoomer giggling. Jak broke through the circle, pushing aside to brown haired groupies as he passed. As he was about to get on to his zoomer one of the girls touched his hand. A burning sensation spread through his body from the point of contact and a bolt of dark eco sent the girl flying. The group of girls screamed and ran over to their felled friend.  
  
'Finish her, kill her' whispered the darkness, 'you know you want to.'  
  
Jak could feel his darker side starting to break free. The desire to slash and kill grew inside of him. His heart beat uncontrollably as the war of wills raged once again in his mind. "NO!" Jak shouted, and placed a shaking hand on the handle and mounted his zoomer.  
  
The Naughty Ottsel   
  
Everyone was silent, even Daxter. After the retelling of Sig's encounter the group fell deep into thought. Torn paced while tossing his knife into the air. Kiera tapped her nails on the counter. Tess twirled stands of hair around her index finger, and Daxter slushed around the remaining contents of his drink in the glass. Sig knew what they were all thinking because he had already thought about it. Are there more of these creatures? Where did they come from? What are they doing in Dead Town?  
  
"So," said Daxter after a couple minutes of pondering. Everyone jumped at the sudden break of silence. "I guess this means that you need a new gun, huh. Considering that your old piece of junk is scrap metal."  
  
Sig was on his feet and strangling Daxter so fast that Daxter didn't even have time to react. "She wasn't a piece of junk!" roared Sig, and he let go of the purple faced Ottsel. "She was a magnificent piece of firepower, and no pee-shooter will ever replace her."  
  
"The rodent has a point though," Torn cut in, "you will need a new gun, especially with Jak not up to par and with this new threat."  
  
"I'm not your new errand boy Torn. Why don't you send those mindless guards of yours, or is there problems among the ranks?" quipped Sig. Torn's fiery eyes dimmed and looked down, Sig could see the weariness in Torn's expression.  
  
"The fact of the matter is that you will need a new gun Sig, and Torn, you need to start putting the KG through their paces," Keira cut in. "And I'm sure Jak is able and would be more than ecstatic about going on a mission."  
  
"Yeah!" added Daxter, "It's about time me and Jak got back into the picture." 


	7. Free

Author's Note: Okay…so I said that I wouldn't write anymore notes in this fic, but its been so very long since I updated last and I feel I owe everyone reading this a BIG apology. If you can even remember who you are anymore. Yeah I've been having a rough time trying to finish this fic…so if this the last chapter I write on it don't be surprised. And one more thing…I started writing this fic before I had played Jak 3.

Chapter Seven: Free

Ashelin sat at the end of the long oak conference table, trying desperately to stay awake during the weekly report given by the city planner. But as his monotonous voice went on her eyelids began to get heavy. The toxic humid air of summer wasn't helping matters either. Ashelin glanced at the clock, only two more hours of excruciating long babble and she was free. Free to do what, she hadn't decided, but thought it might be nice to go see Torn, either that or bust some unsuspecting criminal. Her daydreaming was suddenly interrupted when the large oak doors flew open.

"Excuse the intrusion Governess, but you ordered me to alert you to any matters concerning Jak" The elderly guard at the door way said.

"Yes, go on"

"Well he's attacked a civilian and is now on the run and-"

"Enough, I'm on my way," Ashelin interrupted the guard and got out of her seat. Finally an excuse to get out of the meeting, but at what cost?

The Grand Council Chief stood up. He was a middle aged man with pointy features and rich attire. "I'm sorry Governess, but the meeting is not yet over," the sneer on his face was full of contempt. "I'm sure Commander Torn is…competent enough to handle this situation. And I'm sure the rest of the council agrees that you are needed here more than chasing that…that thing through the streets of our fair city." He through a menacing glare at the rest of the council.

"He's right Governess, we still need to discuss the plans for the city." Pointed out Breal, the eldest member of the council. Ashelin loved Breal to death, he had been more of a father to her than her father had, but she cursed him for his cowardice.

"Fine," she turned to the guard, "tell Torn to handle this one, and tell him to bring Jak here." And with that said, the guard left, closing the doors behind him, and Ashelin returned to her seat. The city planner stood once more and cleared his throat.

"Now, as I was saying-" he started with the same monotonous tone as before.

"Sorry, but if I may interrupt," the Chief said, cutting off the city planner. "But in light of recent matters, I feel it is important to discuss the problem at hand…Jak."

Ashelin shoot a look at him only to get one in return. Count Veger, the Council Chief, was the only member of Haven's Grand Council that had served under her father and that had agreed with his 'tactics'. He was a cunning man, using wit and the public to gain power and control. In some ways, she thought, Veger was more of a menace than her father was. Even though he lacked the physical brutality that her father possessed, he made up with the manipulation of politics. Ashelin had tried to dismiss him from the council, but with his knowledge and power over the people, she had no choice but to keep him. As the old saying goes; keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

- - -

_Why is this happening to me?_ Jak racked his brain for answers to the unexplained outbursts of Dark Jak while racing toward the Underground Hideout. He had almost lost control back at the stadium; he had almost killed that girl. What ever power he needed to find, he had a feeling that he needed to find it fast or next time he might not be so lucky. He wished that the Oracle was more specific, and hoped that the advice given in his dream was not just his imagination.

He veered to the right, narrowly missing a stationary zoomer. He tensed as he came upon a blockade of several hellcats and even more guards. And as he neared the group he realized their armour was not that of the regular Krimson guards', but rather coloured blue were the red should have been. Jak weaved in and out of pedestrians, he had passed KG blockades before, and this one would be no different. He pressed on the accelerator making the zoomer go faster, if he could get the timing just right he may be able to use the ramp up ahead to fly right passed the blockade. He went hard for the ramp, ignoring the KG's orders to stop and surrender. Jak had gotten Keira to adjust the hover mechanism on the bottom of the zoomer to let off 50 more energy a while ago but he had never tested it. In theory it should allow for a higher vertical jump, but that was just a theory. Jak's thumb hovered over the little red button that would control the jump action and timing it just right, Jak pressed the button and the zoomer sprung off the end of the ramp.

For a few moments Jak was free. The responsibility of the safety of the world was lifted from his shoulders and he was the child growing up in Sandover Village again. His zoomer flew over the blockade and Jak gave a silent whoop. The darkness inside of him was forgotten and Jak felt unity within himself for the first time in years.

Reality came rushing at him like a tsunami. His zoomer landed and he struggled to control his years of built up emotions. Swallowing hard he turned his head to look back at the blockade, they were to say the least, in awe of what he had just done, and despite their orders they were not giving chase.

- - -

"Jak?" the harsh deep voice of Torn pierced the silence of the old underground hideout. Torn looked at the trashed place, his desk was reduced to slivers, maps had been slashed and the racing poster of Jak and Daxter had been ripped up. The bunk beds had also been chopped up save for the few closest to the door. Torn's survey of the area stopped when he saw Jak sitting in the farthest corner of the room. "Jak, Ashelin wants me to bring you in," Torn said in a low voice, unsure that Jak was in the mood to listen, "Look, I don't want to force you there, frankly I don't think I can, but I have to follow orders Jak."

"Just give me a minute," Torn could hear Jak's voice shake and his breathing was ragged and laboured. Finally the youth stood up, his head bowed, and his hands trembling, Jak began to walk towards the entrance of the hideout and finally the two emerged and boarded Torn's hellcat.


End file.
